Dr. Matthew Sakiestewa-Gilbert is an accomplished scholar and advocate for Native students, and continues to keep his heart grounded in the history of Hopi through Beyond the Mesas. Matthew and I both served board terms with the Hopi Education Endowment Fund and shared efforts on the Nominations Committee. Over the last 10+ years, it’s been wonderful to see him continue to grow, embedding his work into actionable commitments that remind us of our daily responsibility of being Hopi.

I had the honor and privilege of bringing together a collective of strong hearts in conversation around the history of Indian Education. While I was already a follower of Dr. Sakiestewa-Gilbert’s work of Beyond the Mesas, it was in preparing for this opportunity that I found a direct connection to his writing and the life he captured of women I grew up with as elders of Bacavi. In making sense of their early educational experiences, my heart inherited moments of reconciliation with the truth of boarding schools while recalling their small pieces of joy in lands and experiences far from their Hopi families and home. This work is near and dear to me; I’m forever grateful for the care and knowledge he continues to share in these spaces.

I would highly recommend the opportunity to work with Dr. Matthew Sakiestewa-Gilbert as he is an established professional and has curated his experiences to meet your community and professions with culturally respectful and responsive care.

—
Sahmie S. Wytewa, M.Ed.

“Every society needs educated people, but the primary responsibility of educated people is to bring wisdom back into the community and make it available to others so that the lives they are leading make sense.”
from Red Earth, White Lies by Vine Deloria, Jr.